Line #14 Film/ThePatriot1998


1	[[quoteright:326:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_patriot.jpg]]
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3	A 1998 American action thriller directed by Creator/DeanSemler that follows a doctor's race against time to find a cure for a virus that has been unleashed by a militia leader.
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5	Dr. Wesley [=McClaren=] (Creator/StevenSeagal) is a former government immunologist turned doctor of the small town of Ennis, Montana. With his daughter Holly (Creator/CamillaBelle) and his ranchhand Frank (Creator/LQJones), he spends his days tending to his ranch and the townspeople. However, things change when local RightWingMilitiaFanatic Floyd Chisholm (Creator/GailardSartain) gets a hold of a government bioweapon, [=NAM37=], and infects himself, believing he and his militia possess the vaccine. Surrendering after a long standoff, his trial on federal weapons charges ends when he spits at the judge in order to start the spread of the disease. Wesley must find a cure before the virus breaks the quarantine and stop the militia.
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7	The movie also stars Creator/LQJones, Creator/SilasWeirMitchell, Creator/CamillaBelle, Creator/BradLeland, Creator/MollyMcCure, Creator/PhilipWinchester, and Creator/AyakoFujitani.
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9	It was released on July 10, 1998.
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11	Not related to ''Film/ThePatriot2000''.
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14	!!Tropes for the film:
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16	* CoolOldGuy: Frank is a competent ranch hand who sees Chisholm's militia coming and [[MoreDakka whips out a Browning Automatic Rifle to blow them all away]]. [[spoiler:He [[SacrificialLion gets killed]] by one of said goons shooting him InTheBack [[LastBreathBullet with his dying breath]] as Frank is celebrating.]]
17	* FatBastard: Oh, boy, does [[BigBad Floyd Chisholm]] fit here. He even spends most of the film sweating like a pig because of being infected by the bio-weapon.
18	* TheFilmOfTheBook: Based on William C. Heine's book ''Literature/TheLastCanadian''. Although [[InNameOnly "inspired by" (and loosely, at that) would fit a whole lot better]].
19	* ImprobableAntidote: The antidote to the bio-weapon Chisholm unleashes without having a cure ready happens to be the petals of a flower that grows near the town - a tea made with them gets you right as rain within hours. The drama (and asskicking) of most of the film ensues because the villains don't know that and are hunting down Holly [=McClaren=] (the hero's daughter) because they think she is naturally immune.
20	* PapaWolf: After the daughter of [[TheHero Dr. Wesley McClaren]] is discovered to be immune to the bio-weapon by the militiamen, they decide to take her and harvest her blood for a cure. Very bad idea.
21	* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: The bad guys lead by Floyd Chisholm are the type that willingly would accept being part of unleashing a bio-hazardous cataclysm for the sake of becoming "pariahs" to "the cause" of making America strong.
22	* SawedOffShotgun: The Official reason that Chisholm is arrested is for sawing the barrel off of a shotgun. This was because the authorities didn't have the evidence needed to arrest him for the criminal actions of his 'militia group', and didn't know that he had stolen a biochemical weapon and was planning to use it, but ''did'' have concrete evidence that he had made an illegal modification to a firearm.
23	* {{Tagline}}: "Every Second Counts".
24	* WouldHurtAChild: The militiamen spend most of the film hunting the [=McClarens=] because little Holly is discovered to be immune to the bio-weapon and, not knowing it's because she took an ImprobableAntidote, wish to get her and harvest her blood to develop a cure.

Context Film / ThePatriot1998